The Curious Case of Briar van Badden
by X-Chick303
Summary: Allen thought it would be an ordinary mission. Find the Innocence, kill the akuma, get the t-shirt. But things take a turn for the worse when Lavi mysteriously falls into a coma. Problem? They can't figure out what's wrong with him! When it turns out this has happened to several Finders and ordinary people, the answer may lay with a little girl named Briar van Badden.
1. Prologue

_**3 years earlier**_

"Aunt Helena, do you think Momma will like these flowers I picked?" the little girl asked, holding up the large bouquet in her hands.

Not surprising. The hill she was on was filled with beautiful wild flowers.

Helena smiled, taking her free hand. "Of course she will. They're just what she needs to feel better."

The child smiled as well, but this smile was sad. "I hope Momma gets better soon. If I could, I would make it so she never hurt like this ever again. Wouldn't it be nice if we could do that for everybody?"

Helena smiled again at the child's good intentions, but this smile was sympathetic. Her sister, the girl's mother, had fallen ill in recent days. The family was very poor, so they hadn't been able to get her any medicine. All they could do was pray and wait.

She smoothed her niece's hair. She looked so much like her mother. The same curly dark auburn hair, and warm, honey colored eyes. All in all, she was a very pretty child.

"Well, come on, Briar. Let's stop moping and get these flowers to your mother," Helena said chipperly.

Her niece, Briar, grinned, and ran down the hill toward the family's cottage.

Briar opened the door. "Momma, I brought you some-"

Her flowers fell to the floor.

Helena walked up behind her. "What's wrong, honey?"

She looked into the one room cottage, and gasped. Briar's mother had fallen out of bed, and was now lying on the floor. She wasn't moving.

"Momma!" Briar screamed, and ran to her mother's side. She shook her mother's shoulder. "Wake up! Please, wake up!"

"Ellen!" Helena gasped. "I'll get the doctor! Sweetie, you stay here!" She rushed out the door.

Briar continued to shake her mother. "Momma, Momma!"

Ellen stirred. "... Briar?"

Briar sighed with relief, tears trickling from her eyes. "You're okay!"

Ellen gave a weak laugh. "Sorry, I'm far from okay. Briar, I afraid Momma isn't going to make it."

The girl frowned. "What? No, you can't die!"

"I must be a horrible mother, to leave her daughter before she's all grown up. I'm sorry..."

Ellen fell silent.

The child sobbed and hugged her mother tightly. "No, you can't! You just can't! You can't leave me all alone!"

Briar's father had died of a similar disease a couple years earlier. Besides Helena, Ellen was all Briar had left.

But as her pain-filled cries continued, Briar didn't notice as strange glowing cracks appeared on her body.

"Don't leave me!" she wailed. "_I don't want to be alone!_"

* * *

Helena led the doctor toward the cottage. "It's just this way-"

All of a sudden, there was a huge green flash came from the cottage. Green light poured from the windows.

"By Jove, what on earth was that?" the doctor asked in awe.

Helena rushed to the door. "Briar? Ellen?"

When she looked inside, she screamed.

* * *

**Dun, dun, dunn! Nothing beats a good cliffhanger, am I right? Don't worry, Allen and the gang will appear next chapter. Until then, see you!**


	2. Part 1

**In case anyone's wondering, this takes place between "Lenalee's Love" and "The Vampire of the Ancient Castle."**

* * *

_**"Life is just a chance to grow a soul."**- __A. Powell Davies_

* * *

_**Present Day  
POV: Anyone**_

"Komui? Hey, Komui?"

Allen, Lenalee, Lavi, and Reever had just entered Komui's office. Other than the usual sea of papers, no one was inside.

"Brother?" Lenalee called out. "Hmm. Guess he's not here."

Reever scratched his head. "I don't get it. He told me to bring you three here. Maybe I got the time wrong."

Allen waded through the papers. "Is it just me, or does pile on the floor get deeper and deeper every time we come in here?"

"Komui hates doing paperwork," Reever shrugged.

"Is someone there?"

Everyone froze. Where did that voice come from?

"Uh, guys..." Lavi said, pointing to a particularly large pile near Komui's desk.

A pile with a human hand sticking out of it!

"AHHHH!" the group collectively yelled. With a rush of frantic digging, they managed to save the idiotic Branch head.

"Thank you, thank you!" Komui said, bowing repeatedly in gratitude. "I was having my morning coffee, and a stack of papers just collapsed on me! I thought I was going to suffocate!"

"Well, maybe if you actually_ signed_ some of these documents-" Reever began, carrying a stack of said documents.

"Well, all that aside, I'm sure you're wondering why I've called you here!" Komui went on, completely ignoring his colleague. "A group of Finders discovered Innocence in a small village in Belgium."

"Let me guess, you want us to go and collect it. Am I right?" Lavi asked.

"Exactly. For some time now, the Innocence there was giving the townspeople constant vertigo. The Finders were lucky they managed to stay on their own two feet, let alone discover it. So do be careful."

"If I may ask, don't you think sending three Exorcists is a little excessive?" Allen pointed out.

"Not at all," Komui replied. "The Finders aren't the only ones who knew Innocence was there. A large number of akuma have been spotted in the outskirts of the village. You'll need all the man power you can get." He tossed them several packets. "If you have any more questions, just refer to these. Now, run along!"

The exorcists took the packets and began to leave the room.

Lenalee stopped, and turned. "Komui... is there something you're not telling us?"

Komui tried to pull a poker face. It wasn't a very good one. "W-what makes you say that?"

She crossed her arms. "You seem to be acting awfully nervous."

Komui waved it off. "Don't be ridiculous! I'm not hiding anything!"

He got up from his desk and started pushing her gently out the door. "Get going now! That Innocence isn't going to find itself!"

Once Lenalee was gone, Komui shut the door and heaved a sigh of relief. "Phew. That was a close one."

Reever gave a him a look. "Chief,_ is_ there something you didn't tell them?"

"It's nothing they need to be concerned about. But if you must know, more than just strong vertigo has been going on in that village..."

* * *

_**POV: Her**_

I held out my hand. Droplets of water danced among my fingertips. It soaked my bandages, but as usual, I could not feel them.

"It's raining again," I said to the Others. "It always rains in this village. But that's okay. Rain is nice."

I waited, hoping the Others would respond. Nothing. I don't know why I hope the Others will say anything back. They never do.

The alley I was in was dark. Wait, that's stupid. All alleys are dark, aren't they? Whatever. I like the dark. In the dark, no one sees me, and that's how I like it. I like a lot of things.

_Why don't you find some light? You'll like that even better_.

Of course. She's the only one who talks to me. The Others never talk to me. Only She.

There's no light in this town, anyway. It always rains. I came here to be alone, but the villagers are strange. They trip over themselves. It'd be funny, if they weren't in so much Pain because of it. I've Saved a few of them, but I can't Save them all. I have limits. If I Save too many, will I no longer be empty? Or will I shatter? That would interesting, I think.

_Don't think like that. Life is precious. Yours especially_.

She is right, sometimes. I'm not so sure about now.

"... wonder why it's not effecting us."

I turned my head. Who said that? It didn't sound like one of the villagers. The voice is soft, and curious. It's a boy's voice.

"Maybe because we have Innocence? It's like that time Lenalee and I were in the Rewinding Town."

Another boy's voice. I hid behind some garbage cans and looked. Two boys, and a girl. The first boy, the one who spoke second, has white hair. I thought only old people had white hair. He also has a scar, shaped like a star. The girl is pretty, with hair so dark it could be green. I wish I had hair like that. The second boy has red hair and an eyepatch. He's smiling. Maybe he's a pirate.

They all wore the same black and white coat. They looked like they belonged in a church.

_Follow them_.

I think I'll follow them. I have nothing better to do anyway.

* * *

_**POV: Allen Walker**_

At the time, I thought Komui had been exaggerating a little when he told us the situation in this village. But as soon as Lavi, Lenalee, and I got off the train, I could see he hadn't been. Everywhere I looked, people were just sitting on the ground, looking extremely dizzy and nauseous.

Lavi gave a low whistle. "And here I thought Komui was pulling our legs. Everyone looks like they're gonna vomit."

Lenalee and I walked over to one of the people. He looked like a conductor for one of the trains.

"Excuse me sir, but can you stand?" Lenalee asked, offering her hand.

The man shook his head. "No. Every time I try, the world turns upside down. It's been like this for days."

I placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry. My friends and I are here to put stop to what's causing this."

The man swallowed. "Good luck with that. Now, can you tell the world to stop spinning? I'd like to get off..."

Lavi shouted at us to get moving, so we left the conductor where we found him.

"I've seen Innocence do weird things," Lavi said as moved through the village streets. "but constant vertigo seems a bit tame. I wonder why it's not effecting us."

"Maybe because we have Innocence?" I suggested. "It's like that time Lenalee and I were in the Rewinding Town." While the other townspeople had been reliving the same day over and over without realizing it, we- along with Miranda- were the only ones who noticed.

"It seems to be effecting Timcanpy," Lenalee said, pointing above my head. "Poor thing. Look."

I did so, and saw she was right. Tim was flying in dizzy circles over our heads.

"Uh, maybe you should just hang out on my head, Tim." He landed on top of my head, clearly relieved.

Just then, Lavi stopped and turned to his left. "Hey, do you ever get the feeling that someone's watching us?"

Lenalee gave him an amused look. "Paranoid, much?"

Lavi looked down an alley. "Laugh all you want, but I swear someone was watching us just now."

As soon as he said this, I heard a weird sound coming from the alley Lavi had been looking at. It sounded like somebody running away with glass wind chimes. (I hate wind chimes. Once, I got a job selling them in order to pay off one of Master Cross's debts. They ended up all getting smashed and I had to pay for them on top of what Master owed. These days, the sound makes me shiver.)

"Did anyone else hear that?" I asked.

"Hear what?" Lenalee said.

I shook my head. "Never mind."

With that out of the way, we began our search for the Innocence. First we tried finding the... well, Finders, and see if they had an idea. But there was no sign of them. Next, we tried to ask the villagers if they knew anything, but most were too dizzy to be much help. One woman almost threw up on Lenalee. We did manage to learn that the vertigo started about two weeks ago, not long after the villagers began digging up an old tree in the square.

"As soon as we began pulling its roots," the man we'd asked said, "we were all hit with wave upon wave of dizziness. Now most folks can't even move without feeling like the world is collapsing down on our heads."

"Betcha if we find that tree, we find the Innocence," Lavi declared as we made our way to town square. "Is it just me, or does Innocence really like trees?"

Lavi was referring to the whole "Leaf of Revival" debacle. For the sake of time, I ignored him.

"There it is!" Lenalee shouted suddenly.

In the middle of the square was a partially up rooted tree. Lenalee ran over to it, and looked into the little space under it. "I can see it!"

Lenalee tried to collect it, but the opening was too small and her arm was too big. Lavi suggested we could use his Big Hammer Little Hammer to knock the tree down, but we immediately dismissed that as a bad idea. In the end, we made Timcanpy squeeze in there and grab the Innocence with his mouth. As soon as he deposited it in my hand, the townsfolk started getting back on their feet. The vertigo had dispersed.

"The Innocence was probably causing the vertigo in order to defend itself," Lavi stated, patting the tree's trunk. "As far as missions go, this one was pretty easy."

"I'm still curious as to where the Finders are," Lenalee said. "And my brother said akuma had been spotted around here. We haven't seen any, or Allen's eye would've reacted."

Speak of the devil. A familiar buzz of energy ran through my left eye.

"Looks like you spoke too soon," I said, moving to face our enemy.

Multiple villagers surrounded us. Their bodies expanded, skin ripping as metal overtook them. Two Level 2 akuma and a whole mess of Level 1s.

"**Give us the Innocence!**" a Level 2, which looked like a demented rabbit, snarled. "**Or choose a slow, painful death!**"

"**What is your decision, exorcists?**" the other Level 2, which resembled a giant spin-top, wheezed.

Lenalee's boots began to glow, Lavi took out his hammer, and my arm morphed into a clawed, lethal weapon.

"Guess."

In the end, I suppose it wouldn't be a real mission if a few akuma weren't thrown into the mix. Oh well.

* * *

_**POV: Her**_

These people are weirder than I originally thought. They're apparently 'exorcists', whatever those are. But they've been making things interesting. Some of the Others have begun speaking, talking about these exorcists. I like that. But I don't like those monsters. Akuma, I think. They're in Pain. So much Pain, it makes my teeth hurt. I'd try and Save them, but I don't like them. They shouldn't be Saved.

_Everyone needs to be saved. Even akuma._

Maybe.

* * *

_**POV: Anyone**_

Let's look at the facts. We have three exorcists horribly outnumbered by a mob of akuma. Were they crazy enough to take them on?

Of course they were. Stop asking stupid questions.

"_Innocence Activate!_" Allen shouted, his arm extending into a giant claw. He jumped into the air, and with a slash of his arm, he shouted, "_Cross Grave!_"

With a single blow, five Level 1 akuma fell.

"Way to start the party, Allen!" Lavi called out. He swung his hammer. "_Big Hammer Little Hammer grow, grow, GROW!_"

His weapon enlarged to giant size, crushing multiple akuma at once.

"**AAH! They're killing all the Level 1s!**" the spin top panicked. "**What do we do? What do we do?**"

The demented rabbit akuma knocked its comrade upside the head (or what passed for its head). "**Destroy them, of course! This is ridiculous. You always panic at the first sign of trouble!**"

"**Do not!**"

"**Do to!**"

Lenalee had been keeping an eye on these two, and concluded that they weren't the sharpest knives in the drawer. Rolling her eyes, she flew into the air. After performing a flip (girls had to have _some_ style), she brought down her Dark Boots on the demented rabbit's head, splitting it open like an egg. Smoke and explosions followed afterword.

"**No!**" screamed the top. "**He just leveled up! How can you be so cruel!**"

A thought ran through the exorcists' heads. _Those Level 2 are just plain stupid_.

Now the top looked angry. "**You'll pay for that! DIE!**"

The top akuma began to spin, and spin it did. Wind circled impossibly fast, causing a miniature tornado around the akuma. Anything on the ground that wasn't nailed down were sucked in. Including our heroes.

Allen gripped the ground with his weapon. Lenalee, who unfortunately was in the air at time, experienced the most suction. She was enveloped by the vortex, sent spinning around the town's square. Luckily, Allen managed to grab her ankle, and stopped her unsought orbit.

"Lenalee, you alright?" Allen shouted over the roaring wind.

"I'm fine!" Lenalee assured him. "But I'm not so sure about Lavi!"

Allen had to admit, he agreed with her. When the akuma activated the vortex, he'd been finishing off a Level 1. He didn't get a chance to grab on to anything, was sent flying along with miscellaneous objects in the square.

"_Extend!_" Lavi yelled. The mallet part of his hammer rammed the ground, while the staff elongated, carrying him above the tornado.

"**Get back here, exorcist!**" the akuma howled.

"Well, since you asked nicely..." Lavi answered sarcastically. He looked down at his teammates. "Hey, shortstack! Mind if I take this one?"

"Don't call me shortstack!" he called up. "And go ahead!"

With the granted permission, Lavi flipped his hammer, bringing it down on the akuma.

"_Fire Seal!_" Lavi hollered. "_Ash Configuration!_"

In retrospect, that may have been overkill, but no one was going to tell Lavi that.

As the fire descended over the Level 2, it grumbled, "**...I hate you.**"

Cue huge fireball. The following explosion was so powerful, it launched Lavi high into the air.

"Lavi!" Allen shouted, watching his friend fall very, very far away.

Lenalee helped him get on his feet. "He'll be fine! We got other things to worry about!"

She was right. There was still quite a few Level 1 akuma to deal with.

Lavi's a big boy, Allen decided. He knows how to care of himself. He'll be fine.

* * *

_**POV: Lavi**_

Ow. Just plain ow. It's not enough an akuma blew up in my face, but I had to fall a hundred feet as well.

This whole experience sucked. Literally.

I ended up landing in an alley, with several empty trashcans to break my fall. Not my best, but any landing you can walk away from is good one. I sat up (painstakingly, I might add) and sat on my knees. When I tried to stand, there was a sharp pain in my side. I was afraid to look, but did anyway. There was a large shard of glass. It must've come from a window the akuma broke.

Gritting my teeth, I pulled it out. Thankfully it wasn't in as deep as I thought, but it bleed a good bit. Panda was definitely going to be on my case. I clutched my side.

"Jeez, I can hear the ole' codger yakking at me now," I said to myself. I sighed. "Guess I'd better head back and help Lenalee and Allen."

But my side stung so freaking bad! (Hey, I should allowed to whine every now and then! Don't judge me!)

"Are you in Pain?"

I looked up. Standing in front of me was the oddest person I've ever seen. (And coming from me, that's saying a lot.) From the voice, I could tell it was a girl, but otherwise, she was androgynous. She wore a short cloak that only covered her upper torso, with a hood the covered the top half of her face. The bottom half and neck were swathed in dingy bandages. In fact, any part of her body that wasn't covered with clothes were wrapped in grungy gray bandages. She was like a dirty mummy. Other than the wrappings, she wore a black top that would've shown her midriff (again, bandages), tan trousers that came up to her knees, a single long brown fingerless glove, and a dark brown boot on one foot while the other had a black slipper.

"Are you in Pain?" the girl repeated.

I smiled wanly. "Ah, it's nothing I can't handle. Don't worry about it."

"I can help you, Lavi, if you want" she said, crouching to my level. (Not that she had far to go. She was rather short.)

I raised an eyebrow. "How do you know my name?"

"The Others told me," she replied, as if it were the most obvious answer in the world. "They've been very chatty lately. I like that."

"Uh-huh," I said. This girl was creepy. "Now, if that's all, I'll be going."

I tried to stand again, but pain shot through my body. I tried not to cry out, but I ended up doing so. I was once again on my knees.

The girl gave me what I assumed was a sympathetic look. "I don't like seeing people in Pain. But I can help. You have a good heart. I like that. I can make it so you never feel pain again."

At this point, my hand was inching toward my hammer. I had a sneaking suspicion that girl was an akuma, probably a friend of Nutty Bunny and Big Top.

"It's okay," she whispered. She placed her hands on my face, caressing it.

"No more Pain. No more Suffering. You will never die. I am Briar. I will Save you, Lavi."

* * *

**Man, am I good or what? What will happen to Lavi? Stay tuned!**


	3. Part 2

_**"Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend."** -Albert Camus_

* * *

_**POV: Lenalee Lee**_

"Is that the last of them?" I asked Allen as I brought my boots down hard on an akuma.

Allen fired his Cross Paling, killing a Level 1. "Yeah! My eye doesn't detect anymore, so we're in the clear."

I deactivated my Innocence, and sighed with relief. Thank goodness. I was starting to get tired.

"Now that's taken care of, we should probably go find Lavi," Allen suggested. "I'm sure he's fine, but still."

I nodded in agreement. "Okay. I think he landed-"

"_ARGHHHHHHHH!_"

My heart skipped a beat. There was no doubt about it. That scream was Lavi's. Without so much as a moment of hesitation, I activated my Dark Boots and flew toward the sound of the scream.

"Lenalee, wait!"

Allen called out to me, but he could wait. What if Lavi had gotten ambushed?

After some frantic searching, I came upon an alley. I wasn't sure what'd I find in that alley, but I had to help my friend. As I approached it, I heard an unusual sound.

_Was that... wind chimes?_ I thought. _What are wind chimes doing around here_?

I quietly looked in... and simply saw Lavi, on his knees, with his back turned to me.

I groaned and deactivated my Innocence. "That wasn't funny, Lavi! You scared me half to death."

He didn't answer.

I walked toward him. "Real mature, ignoring me. Aren't you supposed to be eighteen?"

As I got closer, I noticed his arms hung limply at his sides. His hammer was laid carelessly among the alley trash.

"Lavi?" I asked, now more concerned. "Are you okay?"

Again, he didn't answer. I ran over, and knelt in front of him.

"...Lavi?"

His one visible eye, which usually held a mischievous spark, was dull and and glassy. His mouth was partially open, a little drool spilling out. It would've been gross if I hadn't been so terrified.

"Lavi? Lavi!" I yelled. I waved my hand in front of his face. "Lavi, can you even hear me? Lavi!"

"Lenalee, are you alright?" Allen and Timcanpy came barreling around the corner.

I looked over Lavi's slumped shoulder. "Allen! Something's wrong with Lavi!"

* * *

_**POV: Anyone**_

"So... you just found him like this?" Komui asked, moving out of the Matron's way as she adjusted Lavi's blankets.

It was several hours later. When it was clear Lavi was unresponsive, Allen and Lenalee wasted no time calling in help. Finders from a different village came in, and helped the exorcists bring him back to HQ.

Allen nodded. "Has anyone told Bookman yet? He should know."

"I sent a nurse to fetch him. He should be here any minute."

Komui looked down at the infirmary bed. Someone (probably the Matron) had removed his uniform, replacing it with a simple hospital gown. He had tubes in his nostrils, to keep him breathing. The Matron was currently placing an IV in his arm.

_Who could've done this_? Komui thought._ Lavi is an excellent exorcist. Who could get the jump on him like this_?

"Brother," Lenalee said, interrupting his thoughts. She brushed hair off of Lavi's brow. "What's wrong him? How can someone be okay one minute, and comatose the next?"

Komui sighed and adjusted his glasses. "Physically speaking, he's perfectly fine. Well, he had a wound in his side, but you don't fall into a vegetative state because of that."

Allen and Lenalee winced at the 'vegetative state' part.

"While his body is functioning," Komui continued. "his mind is unresponsive to any stimuli. He doesn't have enough brain activity to even blink his eyes. This is a Level 1 coma, the worst kind. There's a chance..." He paused.

"A chance what?"

Everyone jumped a little. Bookman was standing in the doorway, looking more grim than usual.

"Ah, Bookman! Glad you join us," Komui rambled. He collected himself and went on. "There's a chance that if we don't figure out what's wrong, Lavi could very well die."

The temperature in the room seemed to drop 50 degrees.

"But what caused this?" Lenalee shouted, trying very hard not to start crying.

Komui placed a hand on Lenalee's head. "We've run tests, but-"

"We've run tests, but we still don't know what caused this to happen," the Matron finished for him. "From a medical point of view, there's no reason he should be in a coma. He has no signs of head trauma, he wasn't deprived of air, or any other kind of injury. The only mark on him is that side wound, and it's not even deep."

"Way to steal my thunder, Matron," Komui pouted. (He had a rep to uphold.)

"This is hardly a time for a jokes," Bookman scolded him.

Komui lowered his head slightly. "I'm sorry, you're right. Lenalee, Allen, any ideas as to what happened?"

"Do you think one of the akuma we fought earlier did this?" Allen asked Lenalee.

"I don't think so," she replied, wiping her eyes. "Even if one did, we killed them all, anything they'd done would've been reversed. And Lavi fell into a coma _after _we finished. We heard him scream, remember?"

Of course Allen remembered. He was still kicking himself for not getting to Lavi sooner.

Komui cleared his throat. "If that's the case, then this rash of sudden comas is getting to be a problem."

Allen and Lenalee did a double take, unsure if they heard him right.

"Komui, did we just hear you say coma_s_?" Allen inquired.

"I suppose I should've told you this sooner, but this isn't the first time we've seen a case like Lavi's."

He motioned for them to follow him as he exited the infirmary. They obliged, except for Bookman. He stayed where he was standing, at Lavi's beside.

"Bookman, are you coming?" Lenalee asked him.

"I'll stay here. I suppose someone has to keep watch over this idiot," he replied.

Lenalee gave him one last sympathetic look, and left the room. Bookman stared at Lavi, expecting him to jump up any moment and call him an old panda or something equally foolish. What Komui said earlier was still running through his head.

"_...If we don't figure out what's wrong, Lavi could very well die._"

Bookman clasped his hand over Lavi's. _Hmph. You arrogant fool. You said you wanted to be a Bookman,_ he thought. _How are you going to do that if you die?_

* * *

_**POV: Briar**_

The town is quiet. All the villagers are hiding inside, so I can walk through the streets without being bothered. They're not coming out because of the akuma attack, probably. Can't blame them. Those things are scary.

_**You'd know a lot about that, wouldn't you?**_

Oh, Him again.

_**Yes, me again.**_

I take it you're still mad?

_**Mad? That ship sailed a long time ago! How can you do this to people, you lunatic!**_

_Leave her alone! She was just trying to help_!

_**Help? She could've bandaged my wounds, if she wanted to help! This girl has some serious issues to work out!**_

But this is better. You'll never get hurt again, or get sick, or die. Isn't that a good thing?

He didn't answer.

_He's giving you the silent treatment, I think_.

Geez, what a baby. He should be more grateful, that I chose to Save Him. He's just like the Others. First they were mad, then they stopped talking. I don't like that. They should talk to me, like She does.

_I like talking to you._

Of course She does. That what She always says. I like that. He and the Others don't understand me like She does. I Save Her and Him and the Others, and then I'm not alone. It's simple.

So why do I still feel so empty?

_You could try making friends_.

Somehow I don't think that would work. She forgets the first few months. People screaming, saying I'm a monster... I didn't like that.

No. I_ hated_ that.

She didn't have anything to say this time. That's alright, I don't mind. I continued my walk, before stopping in front of a store window. A flower shop. I don't like flowers. I usually try to avoid my reflection. Besides myself, I see Them. Everyone can see Them.

She looks sad and sympathetic, as usual. At least She's smiling. He looks angry, an emotion that seems like it doesn't belong on His face. The Others look bored.

I've Saved many people. But why aren't they grateful? Why am I still empty?

* * *

_**POV: Allen Walker**_

Komui led us into a separate examination room. There were 10 beds, and none of them were empty. Each held a comatose person, hooked to machines and respirators just like Lavi had been.

"These men were Finders in the field, sent to investigate Innocence," Komui explained. "Then one by one, they were found like this."

I scanned every man's face. To my horror, I recognized a few of them. Toma, Buzz, and several others.

"What did this?" Lenalee asked.

Komui adjusted his glasses. "Just like with Lavi, we don't know. Nothing happened to them that would've induced a coma. It just happened. And they're not the only ones." He pulled out several files. "Over the last two years, many people have fallen into similar comas all over Germany and Belgium. No cause was ever found."

He pointed to the three beds closest to us. "Those three were stationed in the village you were just in. They were discovered not long before you were sent out. Lenalee, that was what I was hiding from you earlier. I didn't want to worry you."

Lenalee gave her brother hateful stare. "You should've told us! Now Lavi's in a coma, and we couldn't do anything to prevent it!"

I'll admit, I was a little angry at Komui too. People randomly falling into comas would've been a good thing to know. But that was in past. What we needed to focus on was finding out what caused this, and put a stop to it.

"This is a strange occurrence," I piped up, hoping to stop a fight before it started. "Komui, maybe Innocence is causing this happen."

"I'd think that too," Komui admitted. "_If_ all the comas were happening in one isolated area. But this has been happening in multiple locations spanning two countries."

He had a point. Innocence wouldn't have _that_ a big a range, unless...

"...Unless that Innocence was in hands of a person."

Lenalee and Komui stared at me. Did I speak out loud?

"Think about it," I went on. "If the Innocence found an accommodator, then it would be able to get around, right?"

Lenalee put her hands on her hips. "I've never of Innocence putting people into comas. How does that kill akuma?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. But whoever's using the possible Innocence doesn't know what he's-"

"Or she's."

"Or _she's_ doing. We need to find him- or her-" I added before Lenalee could correct me. "and end all of this."

"Or he/she does know what they're doing," Komui said, on a sinister note. "We need to keep in mind it might not even be Innocence. A good chunk of the victims were members of the Black Order. Someone might be targeting us. And what group of people have strange abilities and a motive?"

"You think the Clan of Noah might be doing this?" Lenalee asked.

"It's a possibility."

I shook my head. "I don't think so. This doesn't fit their M.O. If they wanted to harm the Order, they'd wouldn't bother putting our agents into comas. They'd just kill them."

Komui sighed. "Well, I suppose there's only one way to get to the bottom of this. You two need to go back to that village and investigate."

We nodded. "Of course."

"Good. No time to waste, so get right on it."

Not long after that, we were back in HQ's waterways. A Finder was rowing our boat along.

I glanced at Lenalee. She looked sad and angry at the same time.

I placed my hand on her shoulder. "Hey, are you okay?" Timcanpy flew on to her other shoulder and began nuzzling her.

"I guess," she replied. "I just can't get what happened out my head. Finding Lavi like that... it was scary. I don't want that happening to anyone else."

"We're going to save him and the others," I assured her. "I promise."

Now that I think about it, maybe I was trying to assure myself more than I was trying to assure her. Could we save Lavi? I sure as heck hope so.

* * *

**Next chapter, confrontation!**


	4. Part 3

_"Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: What! You, too? Thought I was the only one."_**- C.S. Lewis**

* * *

_**POV: Level 2 Akuma**_

The Earl would not be happy. Not only did I manage to lose two newly evolved Akuma to the exorcist scum, I lost the Innocence as well. Arghh! This is so infuriating! How do those exorcists expect me to level up if they keep taking my fellow akuma down and giving me a headache? At times like these, I just want to kill something.

"Oh, the rain has stopped," I heard the voice of a little girl sigh. "Too bad. I like rain. Don't all you?"

A defenseless child in the middle of an empty square? Too perfect. My fellow akuma were scattered throughout this village, so they won't mind in I took the life of this easy prey. I quickly took my human form, a woman with red hair, and stepped out into the street.

"Hello, little one," I smiled sweetly. "Are you lost?"

The human child in front of me was definitely odd. She was wrapped head to toe in filthy bandages, like some mini-mummy. Oh well. A kill is a kill.

I knelt down to her level. "If you come with me, I could help you find your mother. Come along."

The girl only stared at me. "You're in Pain."

Huh?

She reached out her hand. "You're Pain is overwhelming. Something inside you is crying. Why is that? I don't like it."

O-kay. This human was officially a freak. Enough hiding. I reverted back into my true akuma form. The girl didn't even flinch.

"Oh. So you're one of those akuma things, right?" She tilted her head, as if listening to something. "I don't want to run. She says I should Save the akuma." She looked back at me. "I try not to listen to Him anymore. He always yells at me."

I extended my claws. "**Shut up. I'm going to kill you know, you little weirdo_._**"

The girl sighed. "I can't die. If I died, I think I'd still be all alone. I don't like that."

"**SHUT UP!**"

I fired multiple bullets from my body. It was time to teach this human scum a lesson.

She didn't move. When my bullets hit her, they broke apart, ripping some of her wrappings away.

_**That girl,**_ I realized._ **Her skin is... in her chest... she has...**_

The child walked forward, and placed her hands on my metal shell. "That wasn't very nice. But I'll Save you anyway. She said to."

* * *

_**POV: Allen Walker**_

A few hours later, we were back in the Belgian village. Only it was emptier than before. A station worker told me and Lenalee that everyone was staying inside, because of the monster attack.

"At least it stopped raining," the worker lilted. "And hopefully, none of those monsters will come back. Anyway, how's that friend you had to carry out of here? He doing any better?"

"Oh, um, he's being taken care of," I assured him. I didn't have the heart to tell this kind man Lavi wasn't doing well.

Lenalee and I waved goodbye to the station worker, and started our search.

"Okay, when we were fighting the akuma, we were in town square," Lenalee remembered. "We found Lavi about 100 feet away. Should we search that general area first?"

I nodded. "Good idea." I picked Tim off my head and motioned him to fly. "Fly ahead, Timcanpy. See what you can find."

Tim did so, and was soon out of sight. Lenalee followed his lead, activating her Dark Boots and flying off. I was left to look on the ground. I figured interviewing the villagers would be a good place to begin, so I knocked on people's front doors, asking anyone who answered if they saw anything.

After 10 houses with no luck, one woman was able to give me information.

"Have I seen anything strange?" she repeated, rocking her baby gently. The baby cooed, and reached out to try and grab my hair. "Now that I think about it, I have."

Finally, some progress! "What have you seen?"

"About two weeks ago, before the constant vertigo, a child wandered into town. She was wrapped completely in bandages. I couldn't even see her face. We thought she might be hurt, so we tried to bring her to the hospital. But she pushed us way. Kept rambling on about how she didn't need us. That we didn't need saving or something. And after that, over the next few days, people began falling ill."

"Ill?"

"Yes! They'd be found in the middle of the road, completely comatose!"

I swallowed. Just like Lavi. "But what does this little girl have to do with it?"

"Well, whenever someone was found, she was off standing in the shadows," the woman replied, moving her baby away from my hair. "I'm a nurse, so I was always at the scene. The girl was always there. And whenever I looked away, I'd hear wind chimes, of all things. Then I'd look back and she'd be gone."

Wait. Did she say wind chimes? I'd heard wind chimes, when we first arrived in this town. Lenalee told me she heard them too, right before she found Lavi.

"Was that helpful?" the lady asked. Her baby was now sleeping.

I nodded. "It was. Thank you."

The lady gave me a smile, and closed her door. As I stepped off her porch, what I had been told ran through my mind. A little girl arriving in town, and people falling into comas soon after. Could this child be some sort of akuma? Maybe not. I've never heard of an akuma that didn't kill its victims.

"Allen!"

I looked up. Lenalee floated down, Timcanpy in tow. He immediately nested himself in my hair.

She rushed over to me. "Timcanpy found something I think you should see. Come on."

* * *

_**POV: Briar**_

They're back. His friends from before. The scarred one was talking to one of the villagers. I don't like this.

_**Follow them!**_

Oh, now you're talking me? I'm mad at you. Be quiet.

_Follow them, please._

Okay, if you say so.

* * *

_**POV: Allen Walker**_

Personally, I think what she did next was a little rude. Whatever they wanted to show me must have been important, because she grabbed my arm and flew up into the sky. If Lenalee ever offers to give you a ride on her boots when she's stressed, for the love of God, say no! It's not an experience worth having.

When we landed, I wobbled away from her. "Please. Never do that again."

Lenalee gave an apologetic smile. "Sorry. But this was important. Take a look."

I turned to where she was pointing, and nearly jumped out of my skin. A Level 2 akuma, not even three feet away from me.

"What the-" I activated my anti-akuma weapon, ready to fight.

"Calm down, Allen!" Lenalee shouted. "It's harmless, look!"

I looked closer, and saw she was right. The akuma was on the ground, not even moving. Then I realized something. Why hadn't my akuma sensor gone off?

"Tim found it like this, completely lifeless," she explained. "Maybe the Earl made a defective model?"

"I don't think so," I disagreed. "My eye can detect akuma souls, but it hasn't gone off. That means either my eye is broken, or this akuma doesn't have a soul."

I deactivated my weapon and tapped the empty shell. "A human soul is the power source for the akuma. Without it, it's just a hunk of metal. Somehow, someone has managed to remove its soul."

"That's impossible. You can't just remove an akuma's soul," Lenalee scoffed. Then she paused. "Can you?"

I shrugged. "Apparently so. But you have to admit, it's an efficient way to disable an akuma, giving you time to destroy it. Speaking of which..."

With one swift movement, I clawed the akuma carcass to pieces with my weapon. It exploded, but I didn't feel that usual flutter of satisfaction. No soul was being freed by my actions.

"If someone found a way to remove an akuma's soul to defeat it, my Innocence theory could be right," I went on.

Lenalee nodded. "Which also means it has an accommodator." She sighed. "Great. Now we have to find the new exorcist and whatever's causing the comas."

"Actually, I think I have an idea who's to blame." I then explained to her what the woman had told me.

She was skeptical. "A little girl did this to Lavi? Maybe she's an akuma."

"I thought that too, but since when do akuma not kill their victims?"

"Good point."

It was official. We were completely stumped. I had half a mind to give up (Well, not really. But I was pretty frustrated), when I heard it.

Wind chimes. (_Shiver._ Still don't like that sound.)

"Did you hear-" Lenalee began to ask.

"I did. Let's go!"

As soon as I said that, the wind chime sound became agitated, as if someone was running away with it. We pursued, Timcanpy zipping past us.

We chased the sound for a good ten minutes, before we heard someone shout, "Hey, get away!"

A girl's voice. We rounded a corner, and saw a child batting at Tim. "I said buzz off!"

Our eyes widened. The girl was wrapped in soiled bandages.

"This is the girl... that woman described, right?" Lenalee asked.

I didn't answer. Did this little girl really hurt Lavi? My eye didn't react, so she wasn't an akuma.

The child stopped whacking at Tim, and faced us. "You were chasing me. I don't like running. That wasn't nice."

"Um, hi," I greeted. Even with our suspicions, she was still a little girl. I might as well be civil. "What's your name?"

"Briar."

"That's a pretty name," Lenalee said, giving her a friendly smile.

"Listen, we have some questions-" I started to say.

"These two have Pain," Briar said suddenly. But she wasn't speaking to us. "Do you think I should Save them? That way, you'd have some familiar-" She winced. "Okay, okay, you don't have to shout." She turned back to us. "Sorry. He's new."

"Briar, a woman told me that lately, people have been falling into comas. Do you know anything?" I asked.

Briar took a few steps back. "They were Saved. That's all you need to know. Go away. I don't like you."

"Briar, a friend of mine named Lavi fell into a coma. If you know anything-"

"Allen!"

I turned to Lenalee. "What?"

She pointed shakily. "The window..."

Briar had stepped in front of a shop window, and there was more than just her reflection. In the window was a whole crowd of people, those she was alone in front of us.

"No. You weren't supposed to see..." Briar whispered. "She and He and the Others are mine. You shouldn't see them."

I stared at the window. There was quite a few people I didn't know. A sad looking woman gave me a wane smile, while the others just stared at me. But there were some I did recognize. The Finders who I knew were back at HQ. And...

"Lavi?" Lenalee gasped.

Lavi was there, in the window. He just stood there, a defeated, hopeless look on his face.

"It was you." I grit my teeth. "You put Lavi and the Finders into comas." I could feel my blood boiling. "They might die because of you!"

"No they won't," Briar argued softly. "Because They're with me, They won't die. Not ever."

"What do you mean?"

"I could feel their Pain. They all had it, some more than Others. The Pain lingered in their bodies, so I Saved Them. They're with me now. They won't die, and I'm not alone anymore."

This girl wasn't making any sense, but I was too mad to care. "Undo it! Undo what you did to Lavi and and the others."

Briar looked as if I plunged a rusty dagger into her heart. "No, I can't. If They left, I'd be alone. I don't want to be alone."

An odd glow seeped through her clothes. Where was that coming from?

"I can't be alone! Not again! I don't want to be empty! GO AWAY!"

"**Look, it's those exorcists!**"

My eye activated. Several Level 1 akuma and a Level 2 surrounded us.

"Allen..." Lenalee said in a warning tone.

"**You killed our brethren earlier. We'll return the favor. Starting with that little brat!**"

A Level 1 fired several bullets.

"No!" Lenalee yelled, racing to reach Briar. She was too late.

_BOOM!_

"**Hahaha!**" the Level 2 cackled. It grinned pleasingly at the mound of toxic smoke. "**Your turn-**"

_Screech!_

Something shot from the smoke, tearing the Level 1s to shreds in seconds.

"You're going to pay for that," a voice said in a tone colder than humanly possible. "No Saving you."

In a matter of seconds, the Level 2 was ripped apart as well. The smoke cleared, and I was genuinely shocked by what I saw. The bullets had ripped part her cloak and most of her bandages, revealing what was underneath. She had long, wild hair, with a lock of hair here and there in tiny ponytails. She had fine, pretty facial features, and was older than I originally thought. But that's not what amazed me.

Briar was made entirely out of crystal. From her skin, right down to individual strands of hair. The fingers on her right hand had lengthened into knife-like claws. When she moved, we heard the sound we'd been chasing.

"The wind chimes," Lenalee realized. "It was the sound of her moving..."

Just below the base of Briar's neck, was a piece of green crystal in the shape of a six-pointed star. The "skin" around it was bunched up and wrinkled.

There was no doubt about it. Not only did Lenalee and I find the person causing the comas, we'd also found our exorcist. Brilliant.

Briar glared at us. "You want me to be alone. I won't let that happen again. I'll stop you from taking Them away, even if it means killing you."


	5. Part 4

"_When everything goes to hell, the people who stand by you without flinching- they are your family._ " **― Jim Butcher**

* * *

_**POV: Briar**_

They want me to be alone. I can't let that happen. I have to stop them, no matter what.

_Briar, sweetie, you're going at this the wrong way. Maybe you listen to-_

Shut up.

_Pardon?_

I see now. You want me to be alone too, don't you?

_Of course not! Don't be silly. I love you, and I want you to-_

Stop talking.

_But-_

Enough. I'm done listening to you.

* * *

_**POV: Anyone**_

Allen had to admit, Briar didn't waste a single moment. He'd barely had enough time to jump out of the way before she brought her crystal talons down on him. They left a small crater in the road. Fortunately, her hand was now stuck, and she was having trouble pulling it out.

_Those claws are extremely sharp_, he thought. _A second later, and I would've been sliced like sandwich bread_.

"Allen!" Lenalee shouted. She ran over to him and helped him stand. "What are we going to to do? That star at the base of her neck. It's definitely Innocence."

"You're right about that," Allen agreed. "Judging by how she morphed her fingers into claws, I'd say she's a parasite type, like me."

"But why would it turn her whole body into crystal?"

"More like diamond. Those akuma bullets didn't even pierce her. But Lenalee, you saw how she was wrapped in all those old bandages? I think she's been like this for a long time. Like she can't figure out how to return to normal, if she even can."

By this time, Briar managed to yank her hand free. She turned on the exorcists, jabbing at rapid speed. Lenalee guarded with boots, deflecting Briar's lightning-like strikes.

"Briar, listen!" Lenalee yelled, keeping her at bay. "We don't want to hurt you, but you can't keeping doing this to people!"

"I don't need you to tell me what to do!" Briar screeched. "I get that enough from Her!"

They were entirely sure what that meant, but it didn't matter. Allen activated his weapon, snatching Briar up in his giant fist.

"Just stop and listen to us! We want help you!" Allen pleaded.

A moment later, Allen felt something puncture through his weapon. It hurt. A lot.

"Arghh!" he cried out in pain, dropping Briar. She had crystal spines growing out of her back.

"I've had three years to master this form. I don't like it, but it has its uses," she snarled as the spines receded.

Lenalee performed a spinning kick with her Dark Boots. Briar used her claws as a shield. With Allen tending to his wounded hand, this was now between Briar and Lenalee. It was mostly Briar jabbing with claws, and Lenalee guarding with her boots. Not terribly interesting, sure, but then again, Briar wasn't an experienced fighter.

"Briar, what you do isn't saving people. It hurts them," Lenalee scolded.

"It does Save them! If They're with me, They no longer have to deal with Pain!" Briar retorted.

"Pain is a part of life! You can't avoid it!" Lenalee retorted back. Her foot caught Briar in the stomach, sending her reeling. "Why are you alone, Briar? Do you have a father, or a mother?"

Briar's eyes blazed. "Don't... you..."

Lenalee cocked her head. "Huh?"

"DON'T YOU MENTION MY MOTHER!" Briar screamed, charging. Lenalee didn't have time to dodge.

_**Shlich!**_

Lenalee froze. Looking down, she Briar's claws protruding through her chest.

"_Lenalee!_" Allen cried out.

She should've been hurt. She should've been losing blood or crying out. But oddly enough, she didn't feel anything. She wasn't even bleeding.

"You don't deserve this, but you're lucky I'm nice," Briar whispered. "I like being nice."

_That's_ when the pain came. This was the feeling of having your soul ripped out.

"Lenalee, no!" Allen shouted. The image of Lavi from earlier that day came to his mind. "Not again!"

Lenalee screamed.

* * *

_**POV: She**_

_This is all my fault. For the last two years, I could've stopped her from doing this. Why didn't I?_

_**You're too nice for your own good?**  
_

_Good point... Lavi, was it?_

**_You tell me. I'm starting to forget things._**

_Side effect, I'm afraid. Every now and then you'll remember tidbits, but if you're separated from your body too long, you forget who you are, and that you want to go back. _

**_Go back where?_**

_He's hopeless. They all are. I'm the only one who remembers. Maybe it's because I don't have a body to go back to. But that doesn't matter right now. I just wanted to help Briar be happy, but enough is enough._

_W-who are you? Where am I?_

_Oh dear. You're the girl from outside, aren't you?_

_My name is Lenalee... I think. What is this place?_

_It's a long story. But I promise you, I'll get you and everyone else out of here._

* * *

**_POV: Anyone_**

Allen felt like someone had punched him in the stomach. This was too much.

"Lenalee!" he shouted, running toward his fallen comrade. Briar stood over them, still like a statue.

He crouched down and sat her up. Lenalee's eyes were glassy, that familiar spark of life gone. Just like Lavi's had been.

"You monster," he muttered, hugging Lenalee and holding back tears. "Why? Why do you think this is saving people? Innocence isn't meant to do this to humans. Why!"

"_Because Briar isn't a monster. She's just very confused._"

Allen looked up. That voice was new. It sounded like Briar's, with an older sounding-one echoing over it.

"Briar...?" he asked.

Briar smiled. Her crystal eyes glowed yellow. "_Not quite. I've never tried this before, but after being within Briar for a few years, you pick up a couple tricks. When she absorbed your friend- sorry about that, by the way- it gave me an opening to seize control. But this won't last long. We have to hurry._"

Allen was skeptical. "If you're not Briar, who are you?"

Briar-Who-Was-Not-Briar replied, "_My name is Ellen van Badden. I'm Briar's mother._"

Allen lay Lenalee down, and stood up. "You're kidding."

"_I assure you, I'm not._"

"Briar did this, to her own mother?"

Ellen (as we will call her) sighed. "_It's complicated._" She held out her index finger, and Timcanpy flew on to it. "_But at the time, Briar thought she was saving me. You see, three years ago, I fell ill with a fatal disease. Briar found me as I lay dying. The sheer stress of this happening caused her to transmute her body into crystal. Then she severed my soul from my dying body._"

Allen nodded. "That must be when she first activated her Innocence."

Ellen shrugged, petting Tim. "_I don't know what this 'Innocence' is, but Briar was born with it in her chest. I didn't understand how it got there, but her father and I dismissed it. Briar was really scared by her transformation, though. When her aunt, my sister, found her, she screamed. My daughter was confused, so she ran away. Been running for the last three years. Briar's twelve years old now. They grow up so fast._"

"That's what Briar's doing. She severing people's souls from their bodies." A thought occurred to him. "Like the akuma Lenalee found!"

Ellen nodded. "_That's right. She removes the soul, leaving behind the living body. If you want to call that living, anyway. I have a theory about the crystal form, though. She stores the souls she takes in her own body. I believe the human body isn't meant to hold more than one soul, so the crystal acts like a strong container, keeping her from breaking apart_."

"That makes sense."

"_But she hasn't been able to return to normal, I'm afraid. As you can see, Briar is a very confused child. I think the storage of souls is meant to be temporary, and long term use is messing with her mind._"

"You've really thought this through, huh?"

"_I've had a _lot_ of time to think, believe me._"

"I do." Allen glanced back down at Lenalee. "How long has Briar been 'storing' souls?"

"_She figured out how it worked two years ago. The first... victim, I suppose, was a man whose wife had recently died. You see, Briar doesn't just "Save" anyone. She only does it to people who have pain inside them. This pain can be physical... or emotional._"

_That makes sense_, Allen thought. _Lavi was found with that cut in his side. That pain would have been physical. But Lenalee... me... even the akuma. We all have emotional pain within us. Briar must be able to sense that._ "So... Briar has extreme empathy?"

"_In a nutshell, yes._"

Like her own akuma sense, Allen decided. Finally, he asked the question that had been nagging in the back of his head. "Mrs. van Badden, surely you realized what Briar was doing was wrong. Why didn't you stop her?"

Ellen stopped petting Timcanpy. "_I didn't stop her because I believed I was a terrible mother._"

That surprised Allen.

Ellen continued. "_Briar's father died when she was very little, so I was all she had left. Well, there was my sister Helena, but Briar loved me the most. When I was dying, I thought, what a horrible mother I was, to be leaving this little girl all alone. Briar doesn't want to be alone. She's deathly afraid of it. That's why I let her keep on collecting. When she did it, she didn't feel alone. But it's not enough. Briar says she feels empty. It's my fault she feels like that. I'm horrible._"

"You're not a horrible mother."

Now it was Ellen's turn to be surprised.

Allen gave her a warm smile. "It's clear you love your daughter very much. You just made a few bad decisions." He crossed his arms, frowning. "But we can't leave all these people inside Briar. How do we get them out?"

"_Only Briar can do that. You have to convince her to release them. She won't listen to me anymore._"

"Once they're released, they'll return to their bodies?"

"_The ones that have a body to go back to, yes. The others... well, I guess we'll see._"

"Wait. You said your body is gone. If Briar releases you along with everyone else, does that mean..."

"_... I'll die?_" Ellen finished. "_Yes, but my spirit will be free to join my husband. Together, we'll be able to watch over our daughter, until the day comes she can be with us again. And that kind of death will be beautiful, wouldn't you say?_"

She placed a hand on Allen's shoulder. "_If this works out, please take care of Briar. Schizophrenic tendencies aside, she's a very sweet gir_l."

Allen nodded. "I will. I promise."

The yellow glow was fading from Ellen/Briar's eyes. "_Then my time is up..._"

The glow was completely gone. Briar was back in control. And she did not look happy.

"What the-" Briar began to say, backing away.

"Briar van Badden," Allen said. "You and I need to have a long talk."

* * *

**Next, final chapter!**


	6. Final Part

"_The day returns, but nevermore_  
_Returns the traveler to the shore._  
_And the tide rises, the tide falls._"- **Henry W. Longfellow, "The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls"**

* * *

_**POV: Anyone**_

Briar grit her teeth, making the sound of someone grinding glass. "Who told you my full name?"

"Your mother, Ellen, did. She borrowed your body for the last 5 minutes," Allen replied, picking up Lenalee and moving her out of the way.

The expression on her face was of pure shock. "She... She spoke to you. No. She never speaks anyone but me. Never!"

"She also said that you stopped listening to her."

Briar had nothing to say about that.

Allen sighed. "Briar, listen. I understand that you feel alone. But removing people's souls from their bodies and taking them into your own isn't going to make you feel better. In fact, I'm pretty sure it's what making you feel worse."

After he finished speaking, he had to duck to avoid Briar's finger blades.

"Shut up!" she shouted.

"Innocence, Activate!" he shouted. (A guy had a right to defend himself, right?) "I'm right, and you know it, Briar!"

"Shut up, shut up, shut up, _SHUT UP!_"

With each 'shut up' Briar slashed at Allen, alternating hands. Allen used his arm to guard, damaging it further in the process.

_Ow! This worse than the time I fought Vittorio!_ Allen thought. _But I have to do this. Lenalee, Lavi, and Ellen are counting on me_.

What he needed was to gain some distance from. Reluctantly, Allen fired his Cross Paling. He figured that if akuma bullets couldn't pierce her skin, neither could his weapon. It was a good call. The attack pushed Briar farther back, without hurting her.

"You don't have to keep doing this, Briar!" Allen shouted. "Release the souls you have, and come with me to the Black Order! We could help you! You wouldn't have to be alone anymore!"

Briar made an impossibly high jump. "I'm not alone! I have Them!"

As she landed, she slashed Allen across the chest. Blood splashed against the ground.

"If anyone's alone, it's you," she snickered.

Allen staggered. Being wounded wasn't part of the plan.

"This... isn't... good," he rasped, struggling to fight off unconsciousness. "Losing... too much... blood."

Briar walked up to him, her talons stained red. "You're in Pain. If you apologize for being mean, I'll Save you."

Allen fell on to one knee, clutching his wound. "You're right, Briar. I am... in pain. But I don't need saving."

Briar looked confused. "What?"

"Being in pain... is part of being human," he went on. "The physical... and emotional... kind. When I was your age... I lost my foster father, Mana. I felt alone too."

Briar held her head. It was pounding. What was this boy doing to her? She didn't like it.

"Alone enough... to try and bring him back. Big mistake on my part. Truth... be told, I still deal with that pain everyday. But it's not... so bad, any more. I found friends who care about me. They're my family."

She lifted her claws. "Be quiet!"

Allen lowered his head. "Briar... you say you feel empty. That emptiness is coming... from how you haven't moved on... from your mother's death. How you've been robbing men and women... of their lives, just to fill the void! Your mother's sad, Briar! She knows how alone... you feel, and it brings... her... pain!"

Briar stopped her attack.

_Pain. That's why I feel this way, _Briar thought. _The people I Save... I'm causing them Pain. Not just Her. But all of Them, in different ways. _

"I cause Pain," Briar whispered, staring at her normal-sized crystal hands. "I... cause... pain."

She began to hug her shoulders. Agony ran through her body.

Allen gave Briar a wane grin. "What do you say, Briar van Badden. I'm not alone anymore, because I found a family within the Black Order. Do you want to be part of it?"

That was her breaking point. Briar's crystal body began to glow a glaring white, her Innocence pulsed, and she threw back her head.

"... Yes, I do," she whispered.

With an unearthly scream, white energy poured out of Briar's eyes and mouth. Wisps of light flew around her in a spiral. It was am amazing and terrifying sight. Some of the orbs flew straight up into the air, while other's just disappeared from sight.

_Are those... the souls?_ Allen thought.

One orb of light entered Lenalee, who immediately sat up and gasped for breath.

"What the-" she said. "Allen? Briar? What's going on?"

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the Black Order, Bookman was sitting in a chair next to Lavi's bed, thumbing through a book.

"I wonder if Lenalee and Allen are having any luck," he muttered to himself.

As if on cue, an orb of light blew the infirmary door open. It headed straight toward Lavi, streaming into his body through his mouth and eyes.

_What on Earth-_ Bookman thought.

Lavi's eye flew open, his back arching and his lung sucking in as much oxygen as possible.

Bookman stared at the spectacle.

Lavi sat up, clutching the space over his heart. "That. Was. Horrible! But what happened to me? I can't-" He winced, and glanced down at his wounded side. "Oh. Now I remember. That mummy girl said something about saving me, and then... okay, maybe I don't remember."

He turned his head toward Bookman, and gave him a typical Lavi grin. "You okay, Panda? You look like you saw a ghost or something."

Bookman stared for another moment or two, then whacked Lavi upside the head.

"OW!"

"You red-headed fool! What did I say about calling me a panda?"

* * *

_**POV: Allen Walker**_

I wasn't able to look at Briar until the glare died down. But I did see Lenalee waking up, so that means it worked. The souls were free.

"Briar?" I called out. Was she okay?

The light faded. Briar was no longer glowing, but someone stood in front her. It was the smoky shape of a woman, smiling down at her.

Briar looked like she wanted to cry. The woman kissed her forehead, hugged her, and disappeared.

"Rest in peace, Ellen," I said aloud, watching her soul pass on. "Briar will be alright.

Briar stepped tentatively toward me. "Allen?"

I smiled. "Hi, Briar. How do you feel?"

Briar smiled back. "Lighter. And not so empty."

"That's good. I'm glad."

Briar's smiled faded. She fell to her knees, buried her face into my chest, and began to cry tearless sobs. I held her shaking form, the sound of wind chimes reaching my ears.

You know what? Maybe the sound of wind chimes isn't so bad after all.

"Allen!"

I turned, and saw Lenalee running toward us. The motion caused my wounds to start bleeding again. This time, I let unconsciousness take me.

* * *

_**POV: Anyone**_

Allen opened his eyes and found Lavi leaning over him, permanent marker ready.

"Get that thing away from me!" Allen said, swatting it away.

"Welcome back to the land of the living, shortstack!" Lavi laughed, standing up straight and tossing the marker aside. "You've been out of it for awhile."

"How long?"

Lavi took a dramatic pause. "... Two. Weeks."

Allen sat straight up. "Two weeks!" He automatically grabbed his chest, which throbbed.

Lavi motioned for him to take it easy. "I kid, I kid. It's only been a couple days, don't worry."

Allen rolled his eyes. "That wasn't funny, Lavi." He then performed a double-take. "Lavi! You're awake!"

The future Bookman laughed again. "You know it. Woke up after you got through to Briar. So did all the Finders. Which reminds me." He walked over to the door, and stuck his head out, shouting, "Yo, Lenalee! Allen's awake!

Lenalee came immediately. "Allen! How are you feeling?"

Allen gave a small chuckle. "I'm fine, but I should be the one asking you two that. You guys were the ones who had their souls severed."

Lenalee waved off his concern. "We're alright. What Briar did to us had no lasting side effects. Speaking of which, Briar will want to see you. You feel like getting up?"

Allen raised an eyebrow. "Briar's here? At the Order?"

Lenalee nodded. "Mm-hm. She's in my brother's office right now. He adores Briar. Komui says she reminds him of me at that age. Would you like to see her?"

"Of course I would!"

After sending Lavi on a quick errand to get clothes from Allen's room, the three exorcists made their way to Komui's office.

"How is Briar holding up?" Allen asked as they approached the Science Division.

"The kid's a total doll," Lavi replied happily. "She was pretty sad when she first got here, but everyone's been making her feel welcome. And she's currently _your_ biggest fan."

"That's great. Uh, the welcoming part, not the biggest fan part. I can't wait to see her."

They reached Komui's office, and entered. Allen looked around. Where was Briar?

Komui was sitting at his desk, staring adoringly at a young girl chasing Timcanpy around. The girl looked twelve or thirteen years old, and had gorgeous auburn hair bound up in a spiky pony tail and spiky bangs to match falling in front of her face, along with warm honey-colored eyes. Underneath the left eye was a small round birthmark. She was wearing a black child's cloak with a high collar, an obvious variation of the exorcist coat. Underneath she was a short black dress with bell sleeves, and high laced-up boots.

But after getting a good look at her face, Allen had a realization.

"Briar? Is that you?"

**(A/N: If you want to see the picture I drew of Briar in uniform, there's a web address in my profile. Check it out!)**

Briar stopped grabbing at Timcanpy, and gave Allen a wide smile.

"Allen!" Briar ran forward and promptly glomped him.

"Ah! Briar! Wounds!" Allen choked out.

Briar jumped off him. "Sorry, _Jochie._ I forgot."

Lavi snickered at the word "_Jochie_" for some reason. Allen ignored him.

"You're not made of crystal anymore!" Allen noted. "When-"

"The lady with all those arms fixed me," Briar explained.

"Her name is Hevlaska, Bri," Lavi corrected her.

"Oh, right. Hevlaska."

"Right after we got you to the infirmary," Komui began to explain further. "and kept Lavi from strangling Briar..."

Allen glared at Lavi.

Lavi rested his elbow on top of Briar's head. "I was a little mad at first. So sue me. But now we're buds. Right Bri?"

Briar gave him a salute. "Yes sir, Mr. Lavi."

"As I was saying," Komui went on. "After all that, we brought her down to see Hevlaska."

* * *

_**Two Days Earlier**_

_"EEEEEEK!" Briar squealed as the translucent arms lifted her into the air. "I DON'T LIKE THIS!"_

_Lenalee winced in sympathy. "It's alright, Briar! Hevlaska won't hurt you!_

_"Honestly, Hevlaska's not that scary," Komui sighed. "Why does everyone react like this?"_

_Lenalee shrugged._

_"You're Innocence has been active for a very long time," Hevlaska said in a soothing tone. "I can only imagine the strange it's putting on your body."_

_Briar kept wriggling. "Put me down!"_

_Hevlaska placed Briar's forehead against her own. "5%... 18%... 34%... 67%... 85%. That's as high as your synchro-rate can go."_

_With that, Hevlaska touched Briar's Innocence. It glowed brightly, along with Briar's body. After a moment or two, the crystal on her body receded back into the Innocence, and Hevlaska set her down._

_Lenalee walked over to Briar. "Auburn hair, huh? It's a good look for you."_

_Briar looked all over her body, touching her face in disbelief. "I'm... I'm... I'm back to normal."_

_"I've temporarily deactivated your Innocence," Hevlaska explained. "It needs a long rest before you can use it again."_

_"Congratulations, Briar van Badden!" Komui said cheerfully, hugging the girl. "We can officially trust you!"_

_**SMACK!**_

_Komui now had a huge red mark across his face, and his glasses had been knocked to the floor._

_"You could have told me that was going to happen!" Briar hollered indignantly. _

_"Sorry, but an involuntary Innocence check is necessary when joining!" Komui argued.  
_

_"You didn't think I'd like to know that?" Briar shouted. She sighed. "You know what? I don't care! I'm normal again! After three long, long years, I'm-"_

_In mid-chant, Briar fell over._

_"Briar!" Lenalee called out._

* * *

_**Present**_

"As it turned out, being in a state of constant-Invocation really tuckered me out," Briar said, finishing the story. "I fell asleep almost instantly. I actually only woke up a couple hours ago myself."

Allen ruffled her hair. "I feel for you, Briar. Hevlaska gave me a pretty good scare too when I first met her."

Briar grinned. "I can understand that, _Jochie_. But I'm not afraid anymore. Hevlaska's nice."

It was Allen's turn to smile.

"Briar will begin her training as an exorcist in a few days," Komui said, interrupting the moment. "But first, we'll be escorting her to her aunt Helena Van Damme's home in Belgium."

"Your aunt?" Allen asked Briar.

Briar nodded happily. "We called her on the telephone when I woke up. I got to talk to her and everything! Turns out she has been looking for me this entire time! I can't wait to see her."

"We should probably be going," Lenalee said. "Your aunt is waiting for us. Come along, Briar."

"Alright, Miss Lenalee," Briar said, As Lenalee led her out, Briar called over, "Hey, come see us off, _Jochie_!"

"I'll catch up!" Allen replied.

Lavi was snickering again.

"What's so funny?" Allen asked.

"That name she keeps calling you," Lavi replied. "It's a term of endearment in Dutch. It means 'little boy'."

A vein pulsed on Allen's head.

Lavi burst in hysterical laughter. "She's younger than you, and even she thinks you're a shortstack!"

The male ego is a notoriously easy thing to bruise. What that word alone did to Allen's was equivalent to being beaten to a bloody pulp with a lead pipe.

* * *

_**POV: Briar**_

Miss Lenalee lead me down to the Order's canals, which were really neat. A Finder named Toma was coming with us. (He was one of the people I had 'saved.' I apologized, and he was pretty cool with it. Mr. Toma just made me promise to never do it again.)

Miss Lenalee helped me get into the boat. It rocked a little bit, but that was okay. I looked around. Where was Allen?

"Briar! Lenalee!"

Oh, there he was. Allen came running down hall, stopping next to our boat.

"Hey, Allen. Here to see us off?" Miss Lenalee asked.

He nodded. "Yeah. Briar _did_ ask me to."

I giggled at that. Allen was so awesome.

Allen held out his hand. "Since I didn't get a chance to say it earlier... Welcome to the Black Order, Briar. I look forward to working with you in the future."

I took his hand and shook it. "Thanks, Allen. And I look forward to getting to know my new family."

"You'll love them."

"I bet."

Mr. Toma said it was time to go, so we waved goodbye to Allen, and he began to row us into the long tunnel.

"Bye Briar!" Allen called after us. "Have fun seeing your aunt!"

"I will!" I yelled back.

Miss Lenalee gently told me to sit back down, or I'd tip over the boat, so I did. As I sat down, the events of the last few days passed through my mind. I had to say goodbye to my mother, and that was sad. But now I had new friends, a new job, even a new family.

Hmm. I guess I'm not alone anymore. I like that.

* * *

**Done! DONE DONE DONE! Briar's tale has finally been completed! It was a long ride, but so worth it! If you enjoyed this D. Gray-man story, keep an eye out for these titles:**

**__****Exorcists of the Golden Country**  
**_The Black Order De-Ageifying Incident_  
__****The More Things Change**  


******Until, read and review!**


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